Reading Notes: Part B Why the Fish Lives in the Water

Why the Fish Lives in the Water Story Source: Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell 

This was an interesting read to me. It is not often that I think about why an animal lives in certain areas. This story reveals why the fish lives in water now.

In this story, the fish used to live on the land. A fish and a leopard were very good friends for quite some time. The fish fancied the leopards wife and began having what we would call an affair with the leopards wife. Word got around and the leopard didn't believe it until he showed up unexpectedly and caught his wife and the fish together.
The leopard wanted to kill the fish but thought to himself that even though the fish betrayed him, he would feel bad because they had been friends for so long. Instead he told the king and the king is the one that said the fish should never live on land again. He banished any future fish from living on land and said from now on they have to live in the ocean and that if they came on land they would die. He also ordered for man and land animal to kill and eat fish in the future as punishment.


This story was interesting to me because it is not something I have ever thought about before. I think that it would be interesting to read this story from the fish's point of view. Afterall, he is the reason the entire fish population is now bound to water.

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